A French appeals court on Friday upheld a decision requiring Paris Saint-Germain and Morocco defender Achraf Hakimi to face trial over rape allegations, rejecting his appeal against an earlier ruling.
Hakimi had challenged a February decision by an investigating judge, which followed recommendations from prosecutors that the footballer should be tried in court.
The ruling came just hours before Morocco’s Group C World Cup clash against Scotland.
The North Africans began their campaign with a 1-1 draw against Brazil.
The 27-year-old, widely regarded as one of the world’s leading right-backs, has consistently denied the allegations.
He was placed under formal investigation in March 2023 after a 24-year-old woman accused him of raping her at his residence in a suburb of Paris.
In a statement to the media, the Versailles appeals court said it had ordered Hakimi to be formally charged with rape.
According to the court, evidence gathered during both the inquiry and judicial investigation was sufficient to justify a trial.
Rachel-Flore Pardo, counsel for the complainant, welcomed the ruling, saying that after more than three years of legal proceedings, “and after being defamed and dragged through the mud by Achraf Hakimi’s defense,” the court’s decision “brings my client a sense of relief and hope.”
“Relief that she has been heard by the justice system and will have her case heard at trial,” Pardo said in a statement to The Associated Press. “Hope that this trial will help other women and further weaken the fortress of denial and impunity surrounding sexual violence, including within the world of men’s football.”
Reacting to the decision on social media platform X, Hakimi maintained his innocence and suggested his public profile played a role in the case moving forward.
“Justice looked me in the eye and told me: ‘If you were not famous, there would never have been a case,'” Hakimi wrote. “I chose to remain silent for years. I believed that staying dignified, being patient, and trusting the justice system would allow the right decisions to be made.”
He further stated that the allegations had affected both his relatives and his reputation.
“I have been waiting for this trial since the first day. And I am now waiting for it impatiently,” he wrote. “Finally, I will be able to speak.”
Authorities have not yet announced a date for the trial.
Hakimi’s lawyer, Fanny Colin, criticized the ruling, arguing that evidence uncovered during the investigation should have resulted in the case being dropped.
“The multitude of exculpatory elements uncovered during the investigation and judicial inquiry would, in any other case, have led to the dismissal of the proceedings,” Colin told the AP.
“Achraf Hakimi’s defense regrets that no consequences were drawn from the contradictions and false statements made by the complainant, her concealment of information from the judicial authorities, her obstruction of the search for the truth, and the psychological assessments noting both her ambivalence and her lack of clarity regarding the events she reported.”
